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In the pitch-black night, a figure was fleeing at breakneck speed, glancing back every now and then.

It was Zekawa, who was always on the run.

He rode his beloved dog, his gaze resolute.

His experiences during this period have stripped away the childishness from his face.

Whoosh! At that moment, a streak of fire rushed in from afar, instantly slashing towards Zekawa's body. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, leaping off Dark Ball's back to dodge the fatal blow. However, his demon-transformed hound was not spared, its limbs severed by the sharp blade, and it slid far away, scraping the ground.

Zekawa flipped over and landed, creating distance between them.

Before he could retreat far enough, a blade tip was already at his neck.

It's about to cut open his skin.

Zekawa's pupils contracted, and he raised his hand to grip the blade. Even after having half of his hand cut off by the Nichirin Sword, he showed no change in expression.

Then, like a leaping grasshopper, it instantly jumped more than ten meters high and returned to the spot where Dark Ball had fallen.

The large dog, its body covered in blood and fluids, regenerated limbs and stood up, as if its body had been formed from stagnant mud and rotting flesh.

Saliva dripped from its mouth, it bared its fangs, and let out a fierce growl.

The man and his dog stared at the two swordsmen who had suddenly appeared.

Demon Slayer Corps.

Before this, Zekawa had no idea that the Demon Slayer Corps existed... He only came into contact with it after he left Entertainment District.

This includes other demons who belong to Muzan.

This also gave him a deeper understanding of the world.

Therefore, he has always been extremely careful and discreet in his actions.

However, he also anticipated that trouble would follow after killing the king, and he had already made preparations.

These two Demon Slayer Corps Pillars had been chasing him for a long time, and this wasn't their first encounter.

Columns of fire and columns of water.

The people chasing Zekawa were Shiwei and Tanjuro.

The two Pillars also stared solemnly at the boy and the dog. They had briefly spoken with Zekawa earlier, essentially confirming that the boy was indeed transformed by Oboro, not Muzan. Furthermore, during their investigation, they discovered that the boy had harmed and eaten many civilians in his attempt to assassinate a king. Although most of these victims were social outcasts and scourges, from the Demon Slayer Corps' perspective, they were still living, breathing human lives, and demons had no right to judge them.

Furthermore, normally, a demon's appetite is limited... but the boy and his dog had no restraint, eating voraciously and digesting frantically, completely ruthless in their pursuit of increased power. Under normal circumstances, even if a demon consumes a large number of ordinary people, its improvement is very limited, which is why most demons prefer to feed on rare blood. But the boy is somewhat special; his growth potential and speed are astonishing.

Even relying solely on the blood and flesh of ordinary people, they can make rapid progress.

This somewhat shattered Shiwei and Tanjuro's understanding of demons.

After such a long chase, the boy had already escaped from them once and possessed strength comparable to a Lower Rank demon among the Twelve Kizuki ... yet his eyes held no numbers. Furthermore, judging from his earlier act of directly addressing Zekawa Muzan name and drawing a line between them, the boy had clearly broken free from the control of Muzan's blood.

"I've said it many times... I have no connection with Muzan Kibutsuji, and I don't kill people indiscriminately. Those I've eaten are all scourges that are making this world more morbid, including that man Tokugawa."

The boy's expression was cold and sinister.

Shiwei and Tanjuro surrounded the boy, one in front and one behind.

"Did someone send you to commit murder at the Shogunate?"

The Shiwei raised his Nichirin Sword and asked calmly.

"It's fate, God is guiding me to do this."

Zekawa said expressionlessly, "This world is sick, many people are sick... Someone needs to stand up and change it. Look at this world, war is rampant, people are dying, people are not human, ghosts are not ghosts... I am doing this just to end the suffering as soon as possible and give this world a new life. The people who died because of me are only a small number of people. If I don't do it, many more people will die in the future."

"Besides, the people I ate deserved to die... they don't belong to the New World."

The Shiwei frowned slightly; he saw an unwavering determination in the boy's eyes.

It's hard to imagine that these are the words of a boy who is only a teenager.

He and Tanjuro had already heard this explanation once before.

"Was it that man... that person named Oboro who told you?"

The Shiwei said, "The current state of the nation is in chaos entirely because of your actions. If you hadn't attempted to assassinate the Shogunate, the current situation wouldn't exist."

"Pain is only temporary... What is more worth looking forward to is welcoming rebirth."

Zekawa's expression turned slightly ferocious.

"Also... you are not allowed to call out that person's name."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dark Ball, who was standing next to Zekawa, instantly became like liquid, flowing down the boy's arm and into his body.

Blood Demon Art activated!

Zekawa knew very well that he wouldn't be able to shake off the two this time.

We must fight to the death.

As he merged with Dark Ball, under the watchful eyes of Shiwei and the other, the boy's physique suddenly multiplied, rising higher and higher in the wind.

In just a few seconds, it transformed into a monster nearly five meters tall with a wolf's head and a human body, exuding an astonishing aura.

A single palm is the size of a millstone, with sharp nails that resemble black daggers.

"Roar!"

The roar that came from its open mouth also spewed out a gust of wind.

"The first form of breathing is Abdominal Breath."

Almost simultaneously, Shiwei and Tanjuro changed the rhythm of their luck, and all the muscles in their bodies tensed and contracted in an instant.

Then, the Shiwei lowered his sword tip, his gentle movements like gliding across a calm lake, as he strolled toward the boy.

"The Water Breathing, the form of eleven, the Azure Waves."

As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle breeze seemed to sweep across the arena, and the next second, the lake water conjured by the sword's power rippled.

Like a raging tsunami, jets of water surged up and shot towards the monster standing in the center of the lake.

Each jet of water was like a flash of blade.

This is a technique created by the Shiwei after studying breathing techniques and combining them with Water Breathing.

The towering Zekawa roared overhead at the approaching water column and suddenly pounced.

However, his strong and powerful body and movements seemed unable to avoid the impact of the dense water flow, and he was unable to stand firm. The ground beneath his feet seemed to have truly turned into a turbulent water surface, making it difficult to stand.

Boom! On the other side, a figure was running across the 'lake surface', the blazing flames in his hands making the 'lake water' seem to boil, bubbling and steaming.

"Flame Breathing, Eighth Form: Scorching Sun Burns the Sky!"

As Zekawa was cut and thrown backward by the water, Rengoku Tenjuro's sword light unleashed a pillar of fire that instantly engulfed the monster's enormous body and pierced through the sky.

"You are not the only one who has been given power."

The Shiwei's eyes darted around, watching the black figure scream in agony amidst the scalding heat of the blade, and he murmured softly.

Meanwhile, Zekawa suffered a severe blow.

On the other side, Long was holding a cup of warm tea, sitting in a walled courtyard, looking at a woman in front of him who was dressed in rags and had disheveled hair.

The woman's tattered clothes were stained with blood, and she held a samurai sword in both hands.

Her exposed skin was covered with whip marks and scabbed wounds.

Just now, the woman, with her frail body, killed everyone in the entire courtyard.

She seems a bit distracted right now.

Chiyoko and Rina, the two maids, stood calmly on either side of Oboro.

Your actions have already given you the answer...

Long took a sip of tea, looked at the woman, and smiled, "See... as long as you do it, things will change, and you will gain freedom."

"It's not that difficult..."

"However, this freedom is only temporary. As long as the world doesn't change... one day in the future, you will still encounter the same situation. They all say you're crazy, but are you the one who's crazy, or are they?"

As Long was speaking, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

I have a feeling.

I looked up at the horizon.

He realized that something had happened to Zekawa.

The boy's blood was infused with his blood, and he was also the inheritor of his will; Oboro could sense this.

"Good."

Zekawa might be dying, but Oboro showed a satisfied smile.

Regardless of who killed Zekawa, whether it was a swordsman from the Demon Slayer Corps or one of the Twelve Kizuki, it all points to one thing: the difficulty of this world is increasing, and all combat power is evolving.

The woman in front of him knelt down with a thud, threw down her weapon, and lowered her head.

A hand was extended in front of her eyes; the skin and texture were flawless and white, and it exuded a faint warmth...

"Go, go prove yourself... tell everyone you're not crazy... you're the only one who's sane."

The woman's pupils dilated, and she looked up at the man's smiling face.

He slowly placed his hand on it.